Height adjustable pendent control



March 1, 1966 E. B. BURNETT 3,237,780

HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE PENDENT CONTROL Filed Oct. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ELMER B. BURNETT 9% wfrm ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY ELMER B. BURNETT March 1, 1966 E. B. BURNETT HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE PENDENT CONTROL Filed Oct. 14, 1964 United States Patent 3,237,789 HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE PENDENT CONTROL Elmer B. Burnett, Monroeton, Pa, assignor to lngersoll- Rand Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 403,874 11 Claims. (Cl. 21226) This invention relates to overhead hoists and the like and has particular reference to the provision of a new and improved adjustable pendent control therefore which includes means for simply and readily adjusting the vertical distance between the hoist and the pendent control such that said hoist may be safely and easily operated from varying heights or positions of control.

Conventionally, pendent controls for overhead hoists generally include no provision for readily adjusting the vertical distance between the hoist and the pendent control. Thus, conventional controls are generally not sufficiently adaptable such that the operator of the hoist may readily and simply utilize it regardless of his vertical displacement relative thereto. The enormity of this deficiency is believed to be well illustrated by the fact that the hoist operator may, and frequently does, require the rapid use of the hoist while he is standing in vertical positions varying from ground level to loading dock to truck bed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved adjustable pendent control for an overhead hoist or the like, which pendent control includes means whereby the vertical distance between the hoist and the pendent control may be adjusted as required in the use of the hoist.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pendent control of the type set forth which is so constructed and arranged that the hoist may be safely and easily operated by the hoist operator substantially regardless of his vertical displacement relative to the hoist.

Another object is to provide a new and improved pendent control of the type set forth which may be readily and easily operated by the hoist operator whether he be at ground level, on a loading dock, on a truck bed, or at substantially any other height relative to the hoist which is controlled by said pendent control.

Another object is to provide a new and improved pendent control of the type set forth which is so constructed and arranged that the hoist operator may keep the control handle thereof with him while yarding and which, furthermore, enables the control handle to be suspended at head height when not in use.

Another object is to provide a new and improved device of the type set forth which is so constructed and arranged that the control handle, at any vertical height, may be used to pull the hoist along the trolley rail.

Another object is to provide a new and improved device of the type set forth which is simple, quick, and efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described as the preferred form of the invention has been given by way of illustration only.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an overhead hoist equipped with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially sectional front view of the pendent control of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pendent 3237,78 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 control of FIG. 2 taken on line 3-4: of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and with particular reference to FIG. 1, the apparatus illustrated therein comprises an overhead hoist 10 which is mounted upon a hook-on trolley 12 by means of a supporting hook 14, said hook-on trolley 12 being, in turn, mounted upon a support or track 16 upon the roof of the building or framework housing the hoist. Hook-on trolley 12 is furthermore adapted for movement upon said support or track 16 such that the hoist 10 may be positioned at varying locations in the building or framework in which it is housed.

Hoist 10, as illustrated, is provided with the conventional roller chain 18 upon the lower end of which is carried the conventional lifting hook 20. Hoist 1t} and its supporting and lifting apparatus, however, may be of any suitable conventional construction providing that the hoist 10 is of the overhead type.

The pendent control 22 which is provided by the present invention is operatively connected to the hoist 10 by the permanently coiled inlet and output hoses 24 and 26, respectively, and the permanently coiled supply hose 25. Hoses 24, 25, and 26, due to their permanently coiled construction, allow for control adjustment. Control 22, furthermore, is supported by the supporting cable 36 which passes through slot or passage 37 in the control housing 28 intermediate to its connection to the supporting structure and said control 22.

Pendent control 22 includes said housing 28 which preferably, for purposes of operating comfort, has a lower portion 30 constructed in the configuration of a hand grip as is shown in the drawings. Housing 28, also, serves as a mounting or support for the control levers 32 and 34 which are, respectively, operatively connected by means of the plungers 35 of poppet valve block 62 to the input and output hoses 24 and 26 for controlling the flow of fluid therethrough and, in such manner, act to control the-operation of the hoist 10. Hose 25 serves to supply pressurized fluid to the poppet valve block 62 for the operation thereof.

The supporting cable 36 is wound upon a rotatably mounted reel or winder 38 within the lower or hand grip portion 30 of the pendent control housing 28 such that any portion of the cable not required in the vertical positioning of the pendent control may be stored upon said winder 38. A power spring 60 is anchored to both winder 38 and fixed member 28a of housing 28, thereby providing the energy to keep the unused cable on said winder.

Locking means are provided for securing or locking the cable 36 at the desired unwound length. Said looking means comprise a manually controllable push button or switch 40 which is adjustably mounted within a slot or groove 42 in the side of the housing 28 by means of a slot 44 in said button 40 and a pin 46 in the slot or groove 42. A pivotable or rotatable lever 48 including the lever arms 49 and 50 is pivotably mounted upon a pivot 51 within the housing 28 such that, upon depression of the button 40, said button will engage the arm 49 of said lever and, thereby, cause pivotable movement thereof such that the arm 50 of the lever 48 will engage the wedge shaped locking member 52 and urge it downwardly.

Wedge shaped locking member 52 is normally retained within a correspondingly wedge shaped slot 54 in the housing 28 by means of spring or similar resilient member 56, which in uncompressed state, urges said member 52 against the cam edge 55 of slot 54. As a result of this action of said spring 56 locking member 52, in its 'normal position, locks or secures the cable 36 against ber 52, the force of said engagement serves to compress spring 56 and, thereby, to free the cable 36 such that the vertical position of the pendent control may be easily and speedily adjusted.

Through the foresaid construction it is possible to obtain six to eight feet of vertical adjustment of the pendent control, should such be desired, and yet still maintain the hoses 24 and 26 and the suspension cable 36 in safely and neatly stored relation.

In the operation of the pendent hereinbefore described, assuming said control to be at head height, when the hoist operator desires to lower such, he need only depress button 40 which, in turn, causes pivotable movement of lever 48 such that arm 50 thereof engages locking member 52 with force suflicient to overcome the force of spring 56. Such action urges the member 52 from its normal chamber 54 and releases the lock on cable 36 such that the pendent control may be pulled downwardly to the desired height. After such repositioning of said control has been completed, the hoist operator need only release the button 40 whereby the spring 56 will return to its uncompressed state, thereby, urging member 52 into locking position against cable 36 and the side 58 of slot 37.

Similarly, when the operator desires to return the pendent control to head height, or to change its position to any other position, he may readily do so in the fore described manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a new and improved pendent control for overhead hoists which may be maintained at head height when not in use yet which may be readily and easily lowered from said height, or even carried while yarding.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided new and improved means for accomplishing all of the objects and advantages of the invention.

1 claim:

1. An adjustable pendent control for overhead hoists, said pendent control comprising:

(a) .a housing;

(b) means on said housing for controlling the operation of said overhead hoist;

(c) hose means operatively connecting said control means with said overhead hoist such that actuation of said control means governs the operation of said hoist;

(d) Winding means carried by said housing;

(e) cable means operatively supporting said housing from an overhead support, said cable means being operatively connected to said winding means such .that the length of said cable means wound thereupon may be adjusted;

(f) locking means for securing said cable means at substantially any unwound position; and

(g) means for unlocking said locking means such that the amount of said cable means wound on said winding means may be adjusted.

2. An adjustable pendent control for overhead hoists according to claim 1, wherein the hose means operatively connecting the control means with the overhead hoist are of the permanently coiled type.

3. An adjustable pendent control for overhead hoists according to claim 2, wherein said winding means and said locking means are carried within the housing and said cable means pass through a passage in said housing intermediate to its connections to said overhead support and said winding means.

4. An adjustable pendent control for overhead hoists according to claim 3, wherein the locking means for looking the cable means at substantially any position between fully wound and fully unwound relation comprise wedging means for wedging said cable means against an internal portion of said housing.

5. An adjustable pendent control for overhead hoists according to claim 3, wherein the means for releasing said locking means are manually operable.

6. An adjustable pendent control according to claim 3, wherein the lower portion of said housing is of circular configuration such as to form a hand grip for the operator of the hoist.

7. An adjustable pendent control according to claim 3, wherein means are provided for securing the unwound portion of the cable upon the winding means, said securing means comprising means for anchoring said winding means in said housing.

8. An adjustable pendent control according to claim 3, wherein the winding means are formed in the configuration of a reel.

9. An adjustable pendent control for horizontally adjustable overhead hoists, said pendent control comprising:

(a) a pendent housing having a passage therein;

(b) valve control means on said housing for controlling the operation of said overhead hoist;

(c) permanently coiled inlet and output hose means operatively connecting said valve control means with said overhead hoist and adapted to convey operating fiuid between said overhead hoist and said valve means, the flow of said operating fluid being governed by said valve means;

(d) Winding means carried by said housing adjacent the lower portion of said passage therein;

(e) cable means through said passage means in said housing and connected adjacent its opposite ends to an overhead support above said housing and to said winding means, said cable means being adjustable in operative length due to said connection to said winding means;

(f) locking means within said housing for locking said cable means at any position between fully wound and fully unwound position, said locking means including means for wedging said cable means to prevent winding or unwinding thereof, said wedging means securing the vertical adjustment of said housing during horizontal adjustment of said hoist; and

(g) means on said housing for unlocking said locking means such that the operative length of said cable means may be adjusted.

10. An adjustable pendent control according to claim 9, wherein said unlocking means comprise manually operable pin means positioned in a slot in said housing and adapted to operatively engage said wedging means and urge such out of wedging relation.

11. An adjustable pendent control according to claim 10, wherein the winding means comprise a reel, anchoring means are provided for securing said reel in fixed relation in said housing and the portion of said housing within which the reel is positioned is enlarge-d in substantially the configuration of a circular hand grip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,765,408 6/1930 Elliott 212134 2,326,443 9/1943 Dillon 254175.7 X

2,343,684 3/1944 Mace 254l50 X 2,596,347 5/1952 Spafford 212----21 X 2,821,146 1/1958 Mahrle et al. 21221 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,085,310 7/1960 Germany.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE PENDENT CONTROL FOR OVERHEAD HOISTS, SAID PENDENT CONTROL COMPRISING (A) A HOUSING; (B) MEANS ON SAID HOUSING FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID OVERHEAD HOIST; (C) HOSE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID CONTROL MEANS WITH SAID OVERHEAD HOIST SUCH THAT ACTUATION OF SAID CONTROL MEANS GOVERNS THE OPERATION OF SAID HOIST; (D) WINDING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING; (E) CABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY SUPPORTING SAID HOUSING FROM AN OVERHEAD SUPPORT, SAID CABLE MEANS BEING 